Steakhouse staff worked to the bone for lean pay

Raleigh’s Brasa Brazilian Steak-house will pay $68,482 to 18 workers following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation. Investigators from the department’s Wage and Hour Division found the steakhouse failed to pay workers overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a week.

The investigation also revealed the restaurant did not pay workers for all of their hours worked, violating the minimum wage provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act in the process.

Note: WHD investigators have begun taking a close look at restaurants, hotels and other low-wage businesses to ensure that workers are protected. In particular, they are examining whether employers are paying overtime, tracking hours worked, and properly calculating minimum wage and tipped employees’ wages.

Advice: Audit your own pay practices before WHD investigators do it for you.